


connect the dots (draw the lines)

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Father-Daughter Relationship, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-20 21:53:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2444480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone is given a mark when they turn ten, something resembling a constellation. Louis, having gone through too many obstacles in his life, begins to stress over that fact that he needs to raise his daughter and find his other half. It leads to some awkward encounters. </p>
<p>for fatigue</p>
            </blockquote>





	connect the dots (draw the lines)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fatigue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fatigue/gifts).



 

 

_"Daaaddy!"_

 

It's a quarter past one in the morning, on a Monday-wait. Tuesday-night, and Louis is laying on his stomach with his head pressed into the pillows. He lives in a perfect little flat, and sleeps in a too-big bed and has an amazing three year old daughter. 

 

Her eyes were grayish blue like Louis' own, and he thought that they suited her _perfectly._ She had paler skin than he did naturally, which was inherited from her mother who was long-gone and out of the picture, but god was she beautiful. 

 

Louis gave up school for her, opting to get a job and care for her and her only. He had graduated university, and although he wanted to become a pediatrician, the courses were too demanding which would eventually lead to him having no time whatsoever with his daughter after he had yelled to his ex that he would be the only one the baby ever needed. 

 

He couldn't be defeated.

 

So now he worked a dead-end job in an office while his daughter went to preschool, but it was all so he could put bread on the table for them both. They weren't struggling, Louis made enough money to occasionally spoil the girl who had truly stolen his heart.

 

Her name was Edith Amelia Tomlinson, age three, beautiful, perfect, and the love of Louis' life. 

 

The thing was, no one in this world just fell in love miraculously. There was someone that everyone was fated to be with. Louis, however, hadn't found his. Edith's mother and Louis had been together for a while when she had gotten pregnant. And suddenly, there he was, alone with a newborn in his arms sleeping softly.

 

That's when Louis realized that the dotted constellation on his inner left wrist wasn't important to him. Finding his soulmate wasn't important to him because he had just been given an incredible gift involving something that you couldn't and wouldn't return. 

 

A daughter.

 

He knew that Edith was too young to start gaining her marking, but when reached age ten, the dots would begin to show up. Each person would gain a constellation on the opposite wrist of the hand they wrote with around the time puberty started to begin. All mainly at age ten, _very_ rarely after that. When they met the person they were destined to be with, the constellation would fill in, matching the partner, and hurt slightly. 

 

They would fade in like a bruise; slowly, and becoming sore. 

 

At least that's what he was told. Of course, there were some people who were covered in tattoos to the point where they actually inked over their marking, and that only made it harder for them when they finally found their other half.

 

His best friend Zayn was like that, covered in tattoos, however much more cautious. He started getting inked up when he turned eighteen, originally getting his grandfather's name tattooed over his chest in Arabic, and a small Yin-Yang symbol on the pinkie side of his left wrist. He remained aware of the fact that he wanted to see when then lines came in on his marking, and he was so happy when they did.

 

Perrie was her name, and despite everything that Zayn tried to be, that quiet, artistic, closed-emotion guy, he was purely himself around her. Spoiling, happy, and loving. And the definitive equivalent towards Edith as well. 

 

So yeah, it's a quarter past one in the morning on a Thursday, and Louis' laying on his stomach with his head in the pillows and he's _soso_ comfortable, but he gets up anyway. Anything for his little Edith Amelia. 

 

It's a bit nippy, the night is, with the cold catching his skin through his tight jumper, and despite the heat being on, he was still freezing. He tiptoed through the hall to Amelia's purple room which was flooded with stuffed animals and fuzzy carpet illuminated by a small, frosted nightlight with a ladybug and flower on it.

 

From what Louis could make out without his glasses, the little girl was huddled in the middle of her bed with her bunny, George, in her arms. 

 

"Eed…honey why are you up?"

 

She sniffled. "Dadd _yy_ ," he whimpered softly. She slowly dropped the stuffed animal and reached her arms out, making grabby hands at Louis.

 

He had to keep his head up, but he wanted nothing more than to tear up right along with her. Louis rushed towards her and wrapped his arms around her body.

 

"Edith, what's wrong, babe? Did you have a bad dream?"

 

She nodded into his chest, whimpering "Daddy" once again, long and drawn out.

 

"Can you tell me what it was about?" He adjusted his hold on her. "Were there monsters?"

 

"Y-you left," she hiccuped. "Daddy left, I didn't find y-you." 

 

"Oh, my little love…" Louis laid back against the pillows, and he found it hard to believe that he actually fit well on the small bed. "I'm not going to leave you. Not now, not ever. I promise. It's just you and me."

 

With that, Louis kissed her head. Edith was sound asleep within five minutes, and so was Louis not long after.

 

*

 

_"Louis."_

 

"Mh…it's too early," he whimpered.

 

"Lou. Mate, you've gotta get up." 

 

It was Zayn, and his voice made Louis even more reluctant to get out of bed. Although his best friend's voice was incredibly soothing, it was also a bit irritating at fuck-o'clock in the morning. He had a presentation this morning at the office in which he wanted to hang himself about, and Zayn had offered to get Edith to school on time.

 

See, the thing was, Louis was always in a rush, even before Edith. And now he found it hard to truly relax. He wanted to quit his job and make time for her and solely her, but he needed the money. Louis needed to support his tiny family. 

 

When Edith was born, his ex wouldn't even look at her. She considered the baby a life-ruiner, one who would stop her from following her dreams. Louis tried to differ, but eventually he found himself in a separate hospital room holding Baby Tomlinson tight who was wrapped in a soft pink blanket and cream onsie that had a small flower motif on the chest. Louis' hospital bracelet was in his daughter's grasp, her own labeled Baby Tomlinson for the time being. His ex wanted absolutely nothing to do with the baby's name, or anything for that matter. 

 

_Zayn had walked in with a bouquet of flowers and a bag with a balloon tied to it._

 

_"Come meet your goddaughter," Louis had said._

 

_His best friend crept over so as not to disturb either one of them and sat on the edge of the bed. "God, she's gorgeous…"_

 

_"Thank you…I've never been so in love," Louis breathed. "Zayn, I swear when you and Perrie have kids you'll know exactly what I mean."_

 

_He smiled. "Can I hold her?"_

 

_Louis passed her along with the most reluctance he'd ever had, and Zayn's first reaction was to kiss her forehead._

 

_"She's so tiny…"_

 

_"I can't even believe it…Where is Perrie, anyway?"_

 

_"She ran to grab us some tea. But she seemed a little pissed at her for not sticking with you. So she's probably yelling at her."_

 

_"You know, I love Perrie, I really do, but she doesn't have to do that."_

 

_"Well, you've got us. We're gonna be sticking with you, I promise."_

 

_"Thank you, Zayn."_

 

"Louis, I swear to _God,_ if you're not up within the next thirty seconds…"

 

"Don't give me empty threats, Z, we all know you're not gonna do anything." He sat up slowly, feeling the popping in his back. Looking to his left, Edith was still asleep with he hair splayed around her face. Her cheeks were pink with sleep, and that only made Louis want sleep more.

 

"Go hop in the shower, I'll watch her." 

 

Zayn replaced Louis on the bed-Zayn loved his sleep, but he also loved cuddling with Edith in the morning-and he rushed into the bathroom. He needed to make it in earlier than his superiors this morning so he could set up his presentation. 

 

He was out of the shower and dressed properly in record time, and by seven ten, Louis was rushing around the kitchen telling Zayn what needed to be done.

 

"…her lunch is in the fridge, you just need to stick an apple juice in the bag. Her clothes are laid out, and if you could plait her hair that'd be a great. Oh! Also-"

 

"Louis. Shut up. I've brought her to school before, we'll be fine. I'll call you once I drop her off." 

 

"Right. Alright, I'm leaving. Thanks, Zayn. Wake her up, please?"

 

 

"I will. Now go, you'll be late."

 

Louis usual morning route-of course after dropping Edith off a preschool-was rushing four blocks over to the tube station, grabbing a weak but hot tea from a vender just passed the underground barricades, and keeping his grip on it as he managed to keep his balance as the tube headed into the station a block over from his office building.

 

He had a cubicle next to a window-which was so oddly lucky-and an Irishman named Niall who always brought a laugh and a bit of sunshine to their little area. 

 

*

 

The presentation was _not_ happening today. 

 

It wasn't that Louis wasn't prepared, he was, but out of  the blue, his boss announced that there would be a round of evaluations today, and that scared him. Evaluations like this were usually about coworkers, your own work, and whether or not you've found your soulmate. And they weren't fair either because people got selected at random. So when his boss announced that all presentations were off for the day and read a list of names from his notepad, Louis kicked his desk.

 

Now Louis was sitting working on the same assignment he'd been working on before starting up his presentation while random employees had been called up to Gillan Murphy's office. Niall had been one of them, so Louis planned on interrogating him immediately when he came back. 

 

And to make Louis' day even worse, he logged onto his email and was immediately bombarded with the article on the site's homepage.

 

**_Oldest Love in the UK! Soulmates Found in Their Early Nineties_ **

 

_Gretchen Williams was placed in a nursing center by her children last October after taking a harsh fall during a blackout. It had taken over forty-five minutes for a neighbor to finally hear here, and she was eventually rushed to a hospital. Park South Madison Nursing Center welcomed her warmly, and Williams states that she's met some of the loveliest people._

 

_Including her very own soulmate, Sebastian Hoyt._

 

_Sebastian moved into Park South Madison shortly after the death of his wife just a few weeks prior. He had been living in the center for a month and a half before he officially met Gretchen, and it was just miraculous, he says._

 

_Williams says that when she was younger she was always bustling around for her career and never properly settled or paid attention to her marking until she met someone through work. They had three children, and her husband died back in the late nineties._

 

_Being united after decades of losing and gaining hope on and off the record, this proves that your soulmate will come to you even if it takes ninety-three years-_

 

Louis slammed his laptop shut and leaned back against his chair with a heavy groan. This put him on outright edge, because what if he didn't find his soulmate until he was ninety-something? Or _dead?_ Of course, in his mind all he really needed were his friends and Edith, but in the end his friends would go off and have their own adventures with their own other half and have a wonderful family and life together. 

 

His overall luck would be that he _doesn't_ actually have a soulmate and that the marking is just there in for humiliation and mockery.

 

"You a'right, Lou?"

 

Niall plopped down on Louis' desk with a huff and began kicking his legs back and forth like a child.

 

"Yeah, just reading about people who are almost dead finding their soulmate at nine hundred years old," he stated with a flat tone. "Nothing I can't handle."

 

"Don't put yourself down."

 

"I'm not. I'm simply stating that whoever the fuck controls human nature decided to fuck up my life pretty damn good and give me about four million obstacles."

 

Niall patted his shoulder. "Hey, it'll get better."

 

"You're just saying that because the sun shines out of your ass. Learn to frown, Horan. No one, and I mean _no one,_ is as happy as you are."

 

He laughed.

 

"Either that or you're just drunk all the damn time."

 

"God, you're bitter today."

 

"Clearly," he huffed. "I only worked for three weeks on a presentation that would hopefully have gotten me more respect from the bosses but that didn't happen. They just had to push all of that off their plate and go on with these damned evaluations. What are they for anyway?"

 

Niall shrugged. "Murphy says they're just for a track record or some shit, so he knows we're able to handle each other and not go insane. Probably just wants to figure out who to fire, and his method is interviewing around twenty people."

 

Louis huffed. "You know, sometimes I would just love to change everything. Like, change my job, actually finish collage, never deal with my ex…But without her I wouldn't have Edith, the greatest gift in the world and the most important person in my life."

 

"Yeah, I kind of figured that," Niall joked. "And she's absolutely incredible, for the record. You've raised her well, Lou."

 

"Thanks. I no one besides you that work here know about her. I just don't want sympathy, but if I ever get fired, Murphy will never hear the end of it. I have to provide for us both, somehow."

 

"Yeah, but I'd join in and then he'd have both of us up his ass about it." He paused. "Let's, uh, _not_ think about that scenario, though. Best to stay positive."

 

"Mh. True. You coming over tonight? Me, you, Zayn, Perrie. I'm cooking, which I've gotten quite good at for the record."

 

"Sounds good to me. Can Edith be my date?"

 

"That depends, are you going to be bringing the wine?"

 

"Yeah, yeah. Sure, whatever. Nothing too strong, I know the drill."

 

"Atta boy," Louis grinned, and he clapped Niall's shoulder as a send off.

 

*

 

Louis gets off work around four thirty, picks Edith up at daycare, with about a million apologies for being late as usual-and then takes her home. He cooks dinner most nights that includes something quick for himself, and a nice, gourmet meal of chicken, fruit, veggies, and apple juice, and maybe, if Edith had eaten everything Louis had told her to, she would get a cookie afterwards.

 

From there Louis would proceed to let her play while he cleaned then guided her into the bathroom so she could wash up. As always, he read her to sleep, then spent some alone time involving a possible glass of red wine and a two hour binge-if he could stay up-on any shows he missed. He'd always make a cup of tea before his own bedtime, sometimes skipping the binge-watching completely just to get to bed early. 

 

Tonight, like every Tuesday night, Zayn and Perrie and Niall would come over and Edith _loved_ it. She spent most of the time lap-hopping, stealing food from Niall's plate and trying to get Zayn to let her do his makeup with Perrie's bright colors. He's given in one time, and that was the _last_ time (although he'd never admit he really enjoyed it).

 

SInce they all usually came over around six and half the time just let themselves in, Louis rushed home to whip up some pasta and sauce and fried bits of steak in a saucepan over the hob while Edith decided to watch the telly. 

 

"We're gonna have to shops tomorrow, love," he called to his daughter. She was more than likely not paying attention to him. "We've run all out of cereal, and eggs."

 

"Daddy, 'morrow morning," she called, and _ha,_ she actually heard him. 

 

"I know tomorrow morning, love bug. We've got dinner up for the night!"

 

"So 'morrow we go get Cheerios?" By now, Edith was on her knees and leaning against the arm of the couch.

 

Louis smiled at her. "How about this. If you eat _all_ of your veggies tonight and a piece of fruit, we can go tomorrow before daycare for breakfast and you can get anything you want. Does that sound good?"

 

Her blue eyes were huge with excitement. _"Anything?"_ she spoke in awe. "Pancakes an' waffahs an' berries _an'_ icey ceem?"

 

"Well, not _all_ of that, Eed. But one of those things and some berries."

 

She sighed but didn't argue, opting to go back to watching whatever was on that loony little kids channel next. 

 

If Louis could, he'd rip Peppa Pig's head right off and cook it for dinner, but he wasn't going to say that to anyone.

 

~

 

"…No, but what I'm saying is that this guy's accent was so posh, it made me feel like he was from a different country altogether."

 

Niall was going on about some movie he caught before he went to bed the previous night-which was probably around one in the morning. He was claiming that it had something to do with a character being an actor, but having a breakdown and being unable to go through with anything normal anymore, so Louis just labeled it as "Niall was drunk, don't question it."

 

"Daddy?"

 

Louis looked to where Edith was currently sitting on Zayn's lap. "What's up, bug?"

 

"Can we get a puppy?"

 

He looked at Zayn who merely shook his head. "Edith, why would you want a puppy? They're a big responsibility."

 

"'Cause Uncle Zaynie an' Auntie Perrie gots one. I can gets sponsa'bilty!"

 

"Maybe when you're a bit older, but right now it's gonna be you and me, ok?"

 

She frowned. "I wan a puppy…I'll eat my fruits and this green stuffs!" She pinched a piece of spinach with her thumb and forefinger and begun to wag her hand around. "Alls it! I pomise!"

 

"Edith, Daddy probably doesn't want you playing with your food," Perrie warned. "You don't want him upset, do you? Because then you don't get a puppy, or you can't watch Hatchi for Uncle Zayn and I. That's not fair, right?"

 

Edith shook her head. 

 

"Good, now wipe your hands and eat like a big girl, ok?"

 

Louis mouthed "thank you" to Perrie, and dinner carried on like a regular affair. Afterwards, Perrie offered to give Edith a bath which Louis gratefully agreed to. Zayn helped him in the kitchen alongside Niall.

 

"So, what's new with you two?" Louis sighed. "With your personal lives. I mean, it's not like we know everything about each other but."

 

Zayn pursed his lips. "Perrie and I have been talking lately…" He trailed off with his voice a bit shaky with nerves. But not the "holyfuckingshit" kind of nerves but more of the "this is really important" happy nerves.

 

"About…?"

 

"We've been talking about getting married sometime in the future. Like, not tomorrow, not next week. Hell, probably not even this year. But it's just been something we've been really looking forward to." 

 

He fished into his pocket and pulled out silver band with three diamonds on it. They were shiny and glinting in the light, and Louis let out a long wow.

 

"Are you concerned about this?"

 

Louis shook his head. "No! Not at all, I've just known you for, like, ever and suddenly you're getting engaged. I mean…what happened to the artsy quiet Zayn who usually locked himself outside during parties and smoked for a bit. Hell, I haven't seen you smoke in _ages._ What's with you?"

 

"I'm maturing. It's taking time, quitting is, but Perrie's been there with me the whole time. And at least I'm not an absolute fuck up, right?"

 

"That I'll give you," Niall snorted. 

 

"Enough of that. I want to know when you're proposing so I can get the two of you a gift," Louis demanded. "And it better not be like tomorrow, because I'm short on money."

 

_"Lou._ Pez and I don't need gifts. We've got each other, we've got you guys. We're good."

 

"That's not how this works, Zayn," Niall concluded stubbornly. "We're getting you something and that's final." 

 

"Fine, fine. If you have to know, I'll be doing it in a few weeks. And it was her grandmother's, so she'll be an absolute wreck, I swear."

 

Louis sighed. "You lucky fuck, you met your soulmate, your marking's filled in, you look like a fucking _god,_ and you're getting married. This really isn't fair, Zayn."

 

"Hey, you'll find yours eventually. Don't put yourself down."

 

"Oh, I'm not," Louis shrugged. "Just that I have a daughter who I love more than anything in the world, and I'm the only one who can take care of her because her bitch of a mother decided that she had a better life and basically said for me to have fun.

 

"And the thing is, I wouldn't change it ever. Just for it to be a little less harsh."

 

Zayn gave him a sympathetic look because, dammit, he was there when the she-bitch decided that she couldn't have her life ruined with an "abomination" like a daughter at such a young age. It's not like Louis had a random hookup with someone at a bar, knocked them up then was dumped with a baby the next day. He'd been dating, like most teens do, this girl for around a year before they both decided that they were "mature" and "old enough" to finally have sex.

 

And then here he was today. He was a single father with the world's most beautiful and most amazing little girl, and her mother was somewhere out there in the world, maybe with her own mate, maybe not. Whatever the deal may be, Louis hoped that she wouldn't come back into the picture anytime soon. Or in that case, ever.

 

"Congratulations, Zayn." 

 

*

 

"Edith, _please,_ sit down, we'll be seated in a few minutes. The lady just had to make sure the table was clean." 

 

Louis tugged on his daughter's hand to keep her still. Currently, Edith was bouncing on her toes with excitement at the smell of pancakes and other goods, and all Louis needed was a strong cup of tea.

 

"Alright, you two can come this way." The woman was back holding a menu as well as a children's booklet and a cup of crayons.

 

They were escorted to a booth and Louis sat down with a curt "thank you," holding Edith on his lap so she didn't get hurt.

 

"You need to calm down, Edith," he said in a stern voice. "I don't want you getting hurt, and it's rude to disrupt other people while they're eating."

 

She curled into the back of the booth. "Sorry…"

 

"Hi."

 

Louis was shaken back to his surroundings by a deep voice that sounded too old, too mature to be in the body of the boy he was greeted with. This boy with long chocolate-colored curls and round green eyes that were brighter than the sun almost, and a dimpled grin that was almost _too_ happy and could compete with Niall and his demeanor. 

 

Edith perked up. "Hi!"

 

"Well, hello!" The boy crouched down to her level. "And what might your name be."

 

"Edith, I'm free," she smiled triumphantly and held up three fingers. 

 

"My name is Harry and I'm twenty."

 

Louis was in shock by the boy's features he almost didn't catch Edith's shrill cry of "Daddy!" 

 

"You have to say _your_ name!"

 

"Well, since this is a thing, I'm assuming. I'm Louis, and I'm twenty-two."

 

"Pleasure to meet you Edith and Louis. Can I get you something to drink?"

 

"An orange juice for her and a cup of tea, no milk, for me. _Strong,_ please."

 

"I'll be back in a minute."

 

Harry gave them a smile and turned on his heel.

 

The minute Louis had was a sort of miniature form of life crisis. Harry was gorgeous. Just fucking gorgeous, like hands down, and he was in a dull breakfast cafe on a Wednesday morning when someone like him should be waited on hand and foot and fed grapes. Not _be_ the waiter. 

 

_"Daaadddyyyy,"_ Edith dragged out, and dammit where did she learn to squeeze his wrist that hard?

 

"Ouch, Eed. Careful, please that really hurt."

 

She sighed. "I wan pancakes and strawberries."

 

"That sounds like a good plan, babe."

 

"Here you go." Harry returned practically silent and placed the paper cup of juice in front of Edith, the mug in front of Louis. "Are you ready to order?"

 

"Yes, Edith here is gonna get a short stack of silver dollar pancakes with strawberries on the side. And I'll have a scramble with sausage."

 

"Ok," Harry scribbled it down on the pad he held in his large hand, the pad looking almost microscopic. "I'll put those in but Edith, tell me. Why are you and Daddy on a date?"

 

"We runned outta Cheerios," she said, and honestly almost sounded devastated.

 

"You're all out of Cheerios! Well, that just won't do, I'll have to get you a box."

 

"Oh, Harry, that's really not-"

 

"Nonsense, it's not a big deal. It's on me, and honestly, the cereal boxes are only about the size of an iPhone. I'll put your orders in and come back when they're ready."

 

Louis didn't stare at harry's tiny butt and muscular back when he left. He _didn't._

 

He distracted himself by helping Edith with the puzzle booklet the hostess had given her when they were seated, but was stirred when Harry came back with two big plates. His sleeves were hiked up now and Louis felt his heart break when he saw Harry's marking was filled in and looked fresh.

 

"You've found your mate?" Louis nodded to his wrist.

 

Harry seemed a bit taken aback when he glanced down at his inner wrist to see the triple dotted marking. Louis couldn't tell if now all of a sudden Harry was being shy, or he was still getting used to the fact that he was twenty and probably had a wonderful person to spend the rest of his life with.

 

"Uh, y-yeah. Just _recently,_ like pretty recent. Within the last few days…"

 

"O-oh. Wow." Louis coughed. "And can I ask what a guy like you is doing working this early on a Wednesday?"

 

That seemed to bring a sort of relief to Harry. "I don't have class until around one thirty, so I'll work in the mornings every Wednesday."

 

"Listen, people like you should be sleeping at this time of day. I mean, it's not seven AM, but nine thirty is just as good a time as any. And I never finished Uni, so."

 

"Never been much of a late sleeper," Harry replied. "I used to help my mum out a lot so."

 

"I know what you mean, yeah. I've got four younger sisters," he shrugged. "It's a bit hectic."

 

"Only one, she's older. By like, two years. You'd like her if you met her," Harry informed. "She's very sarcastic."

 

Louis grinned. "So we're not too far off from the same boat."

 

"I suppose not. I'll leave you two to enjoy and check back soon." Harry was rather hasty with his retreat, slipping through the flapping doors that lead to the kitchen. 

 

Louis blinked a few too many times, and it was possibly a bit creepy that he was just kind of staring after Harry after the removed himself from the table to go provide for someone else. He seemed, to say the least, a bit nervous.

 

*

 

He dropped Edith off shortly after they finished their breakfast, and although she was reluctant to go, Louis promised that they would watch Peppa Pig together when she got home later on that day. He'd called in to work last minute saying that he wasn't going to make it to work today, that something had come up and he had to be home just in case. 

 

He took that as an advantage to get some shopping done. He may or may not have splurged a bit on a few new shirts for himself as well as Edith. But the mandatory shopping was to be done at the market; getting breakfast, more tea, milk, figuring out what dinner was going to be tonight, and all of that. 

 

Louis was in the middle of searching for a box of razors when someone bumped into him from behind.

 

"Oh, sorry! My fault!"

 

Louis turned and, "Harry."

 

He faltered. "Louis, right?"

 

"Yeah. I thought you said you had class." 

 

"I do," Harry informed. "Or-I did, I just came from it. Had to get some stuff on the way home, wasn't exactly out of my way. Where's Edith?"

 

"She's at daycare. Despite being a father and despite me loving her to death, I honestly just needed a day to myself overall…I'll be picking her up at four anyway. One of her friends is having their birthday at the daycare center today and so most of the class is staying after to celebrate and…I'm not sure why I'm telling you any of this. You're a waiter I met this morning, and I'm acting as if you're an old friend."

 

"Well has there ever really been anything wrong with that?" Harry shrugged. "Better than me acting cold to you, right?"

 

Louis cocked his head to the side in confusion. "You've acted cold to me."

 

"No. Just, I was a little taken aback today, you know?"

 

"No…not really. And by what standards? That I'm not much older than you and I have a daughter?"

 

Harry shook his head. "Never mind."

 

Louis nodded. There wasn't really anything else he thought he could respond with, so he just turned back to grabbing the pack of razors from the shelf.

 

"Ah, Louis? Can I ask you something?"

 

"I'm not a pedophile or kidnapper if that's what you're about to ask."

 

"What? _No,_ that's a little concerning. I just wanted to ask you about your marking."

 

"Alright…" Louis was a little hesitant. "What would you like to know about it?" 

 

Harry rocked back and forth on his heels. He was pretty much refusing to make eye contact with Louis and just remained to stare at his shoes. Light brown shoes that had a small heels which confused Louis terribly because _why_ on earth would Harry need something as ridiculous as a pair of boots like that with a fucking _heel_ when he was probably around six feet tall and towering over Louis himself.

 

Louis would never admit to being short, but next to Harry he felt really small.

 

"You seem to be happy with Edith, and I'm assuming your mate. Just-when you met yours, were you nervous at all to see the lines come in, or were you pretty calm-"

 

"Harry, I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't found my mate yet. It's just me and Edith; I had an ex, we weren't safe, and she basically said that she wanted nothing to do with her. So it's just been us." He lifted his left wrist up to show Harry. "See? No lines-"

 

Only there were. Louis heart was pounding because _shit._ He met his soulmate without realizing it, and by now the marking was something that he completely forgot about and never paid any attention to. Occasionally, yes he did glance at it, but other than that…

 

He had a hunch, however, that the boy standing in front of him was actually his mate.

 

"Those weren't here this morning," Louis whispered. He kept his eyes trained on his wrist. "I don't remember seeing these."

 

"Mine only came in today," Harry spoke. "I was really surprised when you mentioned it…But, uh."

 

Louis wasn't one to cry. In fact he's only really cried twice; when Edith was born, and when the stress of raising a baby and work was getting to him. Those were the most recent, and number three was definitely about to be added to the list.

 

"I just…Uhm." Louis pushed himself into Harry's chest without any thought, pressing his nose into the fabric of Harry's tee with his arms wrapped around his waist. 

 

Harry's smell was homey, like cinnamon and lavender and like fresh-baked goods. It took a minute for Harry's own arms to wrap around Louis, one at his waist, one at his upper back. He was shaking, Louis was, shaking and shivering, and crying and feeling absolutely ridiculous. 

 

He removed himself stiffly with his arms wrapped around his body in embarrassment. 

 

"I-I'm sorry," he sniffed. "I just didn't really think this would ever happen. That _you'd_ happen, yet here we are."

 

"Yeah. S'pose so. And this isn't the last you'll see of me obviously, but would you want to maybe catch up? I can always postpone my shopping, but I know you need to go get Edith."

 

"Uh, no-yeah, that sounds good. We can get coffee or something."

 

Louis basically shoved the razors back onto the shelf and followed Harry out of the store, his own basket placed on an empty shelf on the other side of the aisle. 

 

They wound up back at Louis' with no form of uncomfortable silence. Louis made a pot of tea, poured two servings then gestured for Harry to follow him into the lounge. He sat on the couch facing Harry.

 

"Is this Edith's?" Harry picked up the pink stuffed bunny.

 

"Yeah, his name's George. Zayn, her godfather, got it for her the day she was born. I don't think she's ever slept without it."

 

Harry smiled to himself. "I still have a little dog that I always bring with me. He's almost like a security blanket, y'know?"

 

"Well if it makes you feel comfortable, I don't object to it." Louis grinned in return. With his legs crossed in a pretzel-like form, he leaned back into the arm of the couch and let out a long breath. "I don't want to spring this on her immediately."

 

"Us?"

 

"Yeah. It's mainly been us and I don't know how she'll be with someone else taking my attention. I mean, she loved you this morning, but that was at a diner before we really knew what was going on and she's three. The concept of soulmate isn't exactly in her realm of understanding."

 

"I'd assume so." Harry placed his mug on the coffee table and grabbed Louis' hands. "But, Louis…Please don't be nervous about her liking me. Or anything. She'll understand won't she? And she's not ten, so a transition like this shouldn't be too hard."

 

"I really do hope you're right. When her mum left, I just assumed that everything in this world was going to be completely fucked up for me, and that I was going to have such a bumpy life."

 

"How so?"

 

"Prepare yourself for a story."

 

"I've got tea, and I've got you. I think I'm good."

 

Louis didn't squeal. He swears he didn't.

 

"My mum was in the same situation as I was with Edith. She had me when she was nineteen and my dad left. I don't now where the hell the frosty bugger is now, but I truly don't care, either. Then she was with Mark, someone who I really considered my father and they had my sisters together. Honestly, I think they were just both in need of a family. 

 

"They split knowing that this wouldn't really work out, and last year my mum met a guy named Dan who I'm not exactly fond of, if I'm honest. I was dating her mother, like all teens do, they date, and we'd gotten really drunk. She blamed me for everything, but for a while we were perfectly fine. Then after she gave birth she immediately said that she wasn't going to have anything to do with the abomination that was being cradled in the nurse's arms. 

 

"I took her fully into my custody after that, named Zayn and Perrie her godparents and moved away. But she's honestly the best thing to come into my life. Don't get me wrong, you're probably gonna be pretty far up there one day, too, but we've really only just met."

 

Harry smiled. "Thank you for telling me that, Louis. I appreciate it, and it's not really that easy to do."

 

"Right, well. Enough about me, tell me about you."

 

"Uh…I've got a kitten named Sylvester. He's grey with white paws. My older sister's name is Gemma, I'm an absolute mamma's boy, and I've got tattoos."

 

"I can see a few on your arms, so yes, that's a bit obvious." 

 

Harry swallowed hard. "I'd also like to kiss you. But, not if it's too early on or…"

 

"No, it's fine. You can kiss me."

 

So Harry moved forward until they were practically nose to nose. And then there it was; a soft and gentle kiss with slightly-parted lips and gentle tongue. An easy kiss, a simple kiss. It made Louis' stomach flip with excitement.  

 

They laughed happily, and that was enough to make Louis cry once again.

 

*

 

Louis was actually shaking because he had so much to do today. He had to go to work, which in itself only lead to about a million more things he had to do, and before that he had to drop Edith off at daycare. Zayn had offered, but Louis needed to explain to her personally why he wouldn't be home tonight. 

 

But of course, to top off his day, Edith was being a pain and protesting about getting up and getting dressed. She didn't want to wear the pink shirt with the daisy on it, and she didn't want to wear the purple shirt with the white polkadots. And then she didn't want to wear leggings or the skirt Louis had laid out for her. 

 

Just to worsen his luck, Louis had to get rid of Edith's jeans because one pair ripped completely at the seam when they were in the park one day, and the rest didn't fit after this past summer, so that was just excellent. 

 

_Finally,_ Louis had actually managed to get her dressed on time and out the door with a moderately packed lunch and his own overnight bag. 

 

"Babe, I'm not gonna be home tonight, ok? Perrie's gonna pick you up from daycare and you're gonna go with her back home. I have to go out tonight."

 

_"Noooo, Daddy!"_ She was in hysterics because _of course_ this would happen today. "Daddy _stay!"_

 

"Eed, I'll be back bright and early tomorrow." He kneeled down to her level outside the door of the daycare center. "You're going to have so much fun with your friends and Miss Madison today, and Auntie Perrie and Uncle Zayn tonight. You're gonna watch movies, and play games. Edith, you're going to have so much fun, my love. I promise you."

 

He tilted her chin up so he could meet her eyes. "I don't lie, you know that. So will you at least try for me?"

 

She nodded wearily with one side of her mouth exaggeratedly pushed down into a frowning sort of look. 

 

"Good." Louis kissed her head and stood up. "You'll have so much fun today, I promise." 

 

*

 

Work was hell.

 

No. Wait. It wasn't hell, it was _living_ hell on earth, with fiery explosions and The Fat Devil l known as Gillan Murphy sitting atop his throne watching the inmates scatter and do their labor.

 

Louis might have possibly (definitely) cursed him out during a few spare moments today. 

 

One of them of course being now. 

 

He stood facing the mirror in the bathroom with the water running and some that was previously splashed dripping from his face. He looked like a disheveled mess and Harry was picking him up in two hours. 

 

"Fuck."

 

His hair was standing in every possible way and he just kept running his hands through it with no intention on fixing it.

 

"Niall, I can't go. Harry's gonna hate me, and I look gross."

 

"Nah, he's not gonna hate you," Niall's voice echoed. "B'sides he's pretty much stuck with you for all of eternity, so."

 

"Can you at least get out of the fucking stall if you're gonna talk to me?"

 

"Hey, it's nature's calling. And you started it so, no, I won't. Louis, you're a good guy and Harry likes you. It's not like he doesn't know about Edith, so just buck it up and go, dammit."

 

"This is so bloody awkward." Louis hid his face in his hands. "Thank you, Niall. I'm gonna go change now."

 

*

 

How did Harry manage to look incredible? Like fucking flawless in tight fucking jeans and a shirt that was buttoned only about half way and his hair was long and curly and tucked behind one ear.

 

Damn it, Louis was a goner.

 

"I thought I'd just take you back to mine and cook you dinner. Carbonara and chicken sound good to you?"

 

"I dunno," Louis smiled. "Will there be wine, or am I going to be forced to drink a coke?"

 

Harry linked their hands after taking Louis' bag. "Well I'm not exactly one for the hard stuff," he shrugged. "but wine I do have."

 

"Then yes, Harry, carbonara and chicken sounds excellent." 

 

The walk was short surprisingly and relaxing, with Harry tell him about his day and anything funny that happened to him. Louis refused to speak of his own considering all he wanted to do was go and drink his stress away. Harry said that, blatantly, he wouldn't allow that. 

 

"How about you shower when we get in and I'll cook, ok? You look exhausted." Harry fished for the key in his pocket. "It's no big deal, honestly." 

 

"Fine, fine." Louis kissed his cheek. "Just show me the way and I'll leave you alone."

 

"Bathroom's right through there, and there should be a few towels in there as well." Harry kissed him gently. "Don't take long."

 

"I won't."

 

He did.

 

He basically drowned himself in Harry's apple body wash and minty shampoos until he felt raw and rejuvenated. He slipped on his clothes that he'd packed with haste, practically ramming into Harry when he got out. 

 

"Hi, sorry I took so long." 

 

Harry wrapped his arms around Louis' waist. "I don't mind. Dinner's ready when you are," he said with a kiss to his cheek. "You smell good…"

 

"Yeah, you're uh, gonna need more body wash."

 

"Oh, thanks Lou." 

 

Harry cooked like a fucking _god._ Everything was immaculate and incredible, and had so much flavor. 

 

"My god, can you just cook for me every fucking day," he groaned. "This is amazing."

 

"I'll pack some for you to bring home. How was Edith with you leaving this morning?"

 

Louis sighed. "Reluctant. She didn't want me to go. I hope she's alright…"

 

"She should be. She's a lovely little girl, Louis. I promise."

 

"Thank you, Harry." 

 

Before they knew it they were kissing with Harry's fingers tracing the waistband of Louis' boxers and groaning into Harry's mouth, and all Louis could think about was the comfortable bed that he passed on the way into the kitchen.

 

"Let's move this somewhere else, shall we?" 

 

Louis giggled, he actually _giggled,_ as Harry lifted him up and carried him into the bedroom. Harry bumped into the dresser and there was a loud startled mewing which separated them both.

 

"Shit. Sorry, Sylvester."

 

"Huh. You really _do_ have a cat named Sylvester."

 

Harry looked back at him. "Why would I lie about that?"

 

"You're ruining the mood," Louis sighed. "Forget about the cat and fuck me." 

 

"Christ, Louis. You can't say that to me, I'll go insane." 

 

Louis chuckled, and they fell onto the bed. Their clothes came off and lightning speeds with Harry's shoes hitting the wall and Louis' shirt getting stuck over his head. 

 

They pressed together slow and delicate with low, long moans. Louis scraped his blunt nails into the backs of Harry's arms, kissing his hair and practically screaming his name. Harry settled on top of him with slow thrusts and and hard kisses to Louis' neck and jawline. 

 

"Just make love to me, Harry. _Please."_

 

There was panting and cries and kissing. It was just them.

 

Them and only them, with a beautiful embracing and peace that was just their own.

 

*

 

"Edith. Come here for a second."

 

Louis was setting the table for what felt like the third time that hour. Harry was coming around in less than an hour for dinner, and it would be the first one with all three of them. Louis was _shaking_ to say the least, because what if Edith really didn't like Harry? All for the fact that it would no longer be just the two of them. 

 

She came running into the room with a happy smile and immediately climbed onto the chair at the table. 

 

"Wha?"

 

"Sweetie…do you know what this is?" He pushed his left sleeve up to show his marking.

 

"A coloring. Like Uncle Zayn has!" 

 

Louis laughed. "Yeah, something like that. But, actually, when you hit the age of ten, you'll get one as well."

 

"Will it hurt?"

 

"No, it won't sweetie. But everyone has someone that they're gonna spend their whole lives with. You know how Zayn has Perrie and Nana has Dan?"

 

"Uh-huh."

 

"Well, I've just found mine. And when you find that person, these little lines form and connect the dots, like on my wrist here. Do you remember when we went out for breakfast and there was that really nice boy named Harry that brought us our food?"

 

She nodded. "Uh-huh."

 

"He's gonna come over for dinner tonight and meet you again. You're ok with that, right?"

 

"Is he nice?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Does he like dollies?"

 

Louis' smile grew. "I'm sure he does."

 

"Will he like me?"

 

"He definitely will. I promise you." He kissed her forehead. "And I want you to know something, and that's that I'll never leave you ok? It's gonna be me, you, and if you really like, Harry as well. But you'll always be my number one."

 

"Yeah." She hugged him tight around his neck and that only lifted the weight completely off Louis' shoulders.

 

That night, Edith fell asleep on Harry's lap while they were watching a movie, completely curled up together. Harry spent most of the night telling Edith about Sylvester and how lovable he was, and Louis watched his daughter skip around saying how she wanted a cat as well. 

 

And yeah, this would be good. Everything would be good and maybe, just maybe, Louis' luck will begin to really work out for the better. A new chapter was opening for this new family, and you know what, Louis was happy. He was really truly happy. 

 


End file.
